RESUMO
Violacein is an important natural antimicrobial pigment that is mainly produced by Chromobacterium violaceum and Janthinobacterium lividum. It presents a significant range of effects against phytopathogenic and human fungi, besides being featured as having low toxicity, and by its important ecological role in protecting amphibian species and applications in dyed medical fabric. The hypothesis about violacein's action mechanisms against mucormycosis (Rhizopus arrhizus) and candidiasis (Candida auris) is herein discussed based on data available in the scientific literature.
Assuntos
Anti-Infecciosos , Antifúngicos , Antifúngicos/farmacologia , Chromobacterium , Fungos , Humanos , IndóisRESUMO
Numerous studies have attempted to restore the function of the tumour suppressor p53 as an anti-cancer strategy through gene delivery. However, most studies employed non-bacterial vectors to deliver p53. Various facultative and obligate anaerobic bacteria have been proposed as vectors because of their intrinsic tumour targeting ability and anti-tumour activity. Salmonella enterica Typhimurium is the most studied bacterial vector in anti-cancer therapy. We used the previously designed χ11218 strain of S. enterica Typhimurium, displaying regulated delayed lysis, as a vector for delivering p53 to human bladder carcinoma cells, restoring wild-type p53 protein function. We cloned p53 into pYA4545 (containing a eukaryotic expression system) to generate the χ11218 pYA4545p53 strain. Cloning of p53 did not affect the growth or interfere with the invasive and replicative capacity of χ11218 bacteria in tumour cells. Human bladder carcinoma cells (expressing mutated p53) transfected with pYA4545p53 showed a significant increase in the expression of p53 protein. We demonstrated that p53 supplied by χ11218 significantly decreased the viability of human bladder cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. This study demonstrates the applicability of the attenuated χ11218 strain as a vector for DNA plasmids expressing tumour suppressor genes.
Assuntos
Carcinoma , Neoplasias da Bexiga Urinária , Carcinoma/genética , Morte Celular , Genes p53 , Humanos , Salmonella typhimurium/genética , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53/genética , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53/metabolismo , Bexiga Urinária , Neoplasias da Bexiga Urinária/genética , Neoplasias da Bexiga Urinária/terapiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Nandrolone decanoate (ND) is an anabolic-androgenic steroid, and its indiscriminate use leads to subclinical alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and androgen-dependent organs. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of ND, either alone or in combination with resistance exercise (RE), on the levels of sex hormones, converting enzymes, and steroid receptors and the morphology of the ventral prostate (VP) in adult and aged rats. METHODS: Forty Sprague-Dawley adult and aged rats were divided into four groups each, sedentary and trained with and without ND. The groups received treatments over 8 weeks. Adult animals were sacrificed immediately following treatment completion, while the aged groups were left untreated until 300 days of age. RESULTS: Adult and aged animals showed reductions in testosterone levels following the different treatments, and 17ß-estradiol levels were decreased in the ND-treated groups. The level of 5α-reductase type 2 (5αR2) and aromatase was increased significantly in the prostates of adult animals that performed RE. However, aromatase levels were decreased in the prostates of aged animals that performed RE and were treated with ND, while 5αR2 levels were reduced in aged animals that performed RE without ND treatment. When sex receptors levels were examined, the aged and trained animals presented low androgen receptor (AR) levels. Estrogen receptors (ERs) levels were increased in the prostates of adult animals that received ND. ERß levels were reduced after treatments in aged animals. The heights of the prostatic epithelium were reduced in all adult treated animals, coinciding with increases in PCNA and PAR4 levels. DISCUSSION: ND and RE alter the levels of hormone, converting enzymes, and sex steroid receptors and the morphology of the VP. These effects were observed in both adult and aged rats. CONCLUSION: ND, either with or without RE, during post-puberty stage is able to interfere with the morphophysiology of the prostate.
Assuntos
Anabolizantes/efeitos adversos , Decanoato de Nandrolona/efeitos adversos , Próstata/efeitos dos fármacos , Treinamento Resistido , 3-Oxo-5-alfa-Esteroide 4-Desidrogenase/metabolismo , Animais , Aromatase/metabolismo , Estradiol/sangue , Masculino , Antígeno Nuclear de Célula em Proliferação/metabolismo , Próstata/enzimologia , Ratos Sprague-Dawley , Receptores de Trombina/metabolismo , Testosterona/sangueRESUMO
Graphene and graphene oxide topography have an effect on the fate of stem cells such as adhesion, differentiation, and proliferation. This overview clearly shows that a new design and manipulation of associated graphene oxide stem cell culture platforms are of paramount importance as a focus in stem cell to tissue engineering applications. This overview also proposes that a film of graphene oxide is an efficient platform to modulate structure and function of multipotent mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and in special human adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (AT-MSCs). The implication of graphene oxide on osteogenesis, neurogenesis, oligodendrogenesis, adipogenic and epithelial differentiation is also discussed. Graphene oxide toxicity on stem cells and the importance of GO application on ATMSCs differentiation and proliferation are final topics that are being discussed.
Assuntos
Tecido Adiposo/citologia , Diferenciação Celular , Grafite/química , Células-Tronco Mesenquimais/citologia , Osteogênese , Engenharia Tecidual/métodos , Animais , Células Cultivadas , Humanos , Alicerces TeciduaisRESUMO
Age is a key factor in the development of prostatic lesions. An increase in reactive oxygen species levels occurs during aging. Furthermore, the indiscriminate use of anabolic androgenic steroids and physical exercise alter the availability of hormones and may promote the appearance of lesions. This study examined whether the use of nandrolone decanoate (ND), associated or not with resistance exercise training, affects the pathways related to the inflammatory response in the ventral prostate of adult and aged rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were distributed into eight experimental groups: sedentary with ND, sedentary without ND, exercise with ND, and exercise without ND. The animals performed resistance exercise training and received ND two times/week (5 mg/kg, i.m.) for 8 weeks. Adult rats were killed immediately following treatment completion, and aged rats remained untreated until reaching 300 days of age. The adult animals that received ND and performed resistance exercise training showed a higher occurrence of lesions with TLR4 activation. Marked IL-6 expression occurred in the group that performed resistance exercise training. The group exposed to ND showed overexpression of TLR2, TLR4, NOX1, Nrf2, TNF-α, and P38MAPK. The animals that received ND and performed training showed increase levels of NFκB, IRF3, IL-6, TNF-α, and NOX1. TLR2 and TLR4 showed no upregulation in the aged animals. The groups exercise + ND showed lesions in the adult stage and after aging, followed by molecular alterations. We concluded that nandrolone decanoate and resistance exercise training can promote the onset of prostatic tumors in the adult stage, and during aging, activating pathways involved in the inflammatory response.
Assuntos
Anabolizantes/farmacologia , Inflamação/patologia , Nandrolona/análogos & derivados , Condicionamento Físico Animal , Próstata/patologia , Treinamento Resistido , Animais , Inflamação/metabolismo , Interleucina-6/metabolismo , Masculino , NADPH Oxidase 1/metabolismo , NF-kappa B/metabolismo , Nandrolona/farmacologia , Decanoato de Nandrolona , Próstata/efeitos dos fármacos , Próstata/metabolismo , Ratos , Ratos Sprague-Dawley , Receptor 2 Toll-Like/metabolismo , Receptor 4 Toll-Like/metabolismo , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/metabolismo , Proteínas Quinases p38 Ativadas por Mitógeno/metabolismoRESUMO
For many years, cisplatin has been used to treat many types of cancer, including urogenital, skin and lung cancers. Unfortunately, treatment with this drug causes serious side effects, such as severe toxicity; including nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, peripheral neuropathy, ototoxicity, asthenia and hematological toxicity.Therefore, the clinical use of cisplatin has been hampered.The incidence of nephrotoxicity frequently prevents the use of high enough doses to maximize the antineoplastic effects, and strict attention must be given to the hydration of cisplatin-treated patients to minimize kidney damage.Nanobiotechnology, or nanomedicine, was developed to mitigate, or even eliminate,the toxic effects of pharmaceutical compounds; for example, drug-targeting systems were developed to enable site specificity and to control the delivery drug. Therefore, biomedical nanotechnology researchers attempted to develop nanostructures not only to deliver chemotherapeutics to the desired treatment site but also to control when and how quickly the compounds are released. To achieve these ends, a drug can either be encapsulated in a matrix or attached to a particle surface. Studies concerning the encapsulation of cisplatin in liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes, as well as the immobilization of cisplatin on metallic nanoparticles, have already been published. The association of cancer treatment, particularly chemotherapeutics, with nanotechnology is currently one of the most exciting areas of research. In this mini-review, cisplatin will be discussed in terms of its efficacy against many cancers, including bladder cancer. Additionally, established nanostructure-based drug delivery systems for cisplatin and their efficacy against different types of cancer will be reviewed. Because cisplatin is a standard treatment with good performance statistics and with an effective renal function-glomerular filtration rate, we expect that this review will be helpful for future research.
Assuntos
Antineoplásicos/uso terapêutico , Biotecnologia , Cisplatino/uso terapêutico , Nanotecnologia , Neoplasias/tratamento farmacológico , HumanosRESUMO
Studies have investigated the effect of exercise on prostate cancer risk. However, there are still doubts regarding the correlation between physical activity and the steroid hormones with respect to the reduction of the risk for prostatic lesions. We evaluated the levels of corticosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), testosterone, estradiol, and steroid hormone receptors, and investigated the relationship between apoptosis and cell proliferation in the rat ventral prostate after training. Two groups were included in this study: control and trained. The trained group was submitted to training for 13 weeks (1 week of adaptation). Two days after the last training session, all animals were euthanized, and the intermediate and distal regions of the ventral prostate were collected and processed for immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and hormonal analyses. Physical exercise increased the corticosterone plasma, DHT and testosterone. In addition, androgen receptor expression was lower and estrogen receptor (ER) α and ER ß expression were higher in the trained group. However, the trained group showed disruption of the ratio of apoptotic to proliferating cells, indicating a predominance of apoptosis. We conclude that physical exercise alters the sex hormones and their receptors and is associated with the disruption of the balance between apoptosis and cell proliferation in the rat ventral prostate.
Assuntos
Apoptose/fisiologia , Proliferação de Células , Hormônios Esteroides Gonadais/fisiologia , Condicionamento Físico Animal/fisiologia , Próstata/fisiologia , Neoplasias da Próstata/patologia , Animais , Corticosterona/sangue , Di-Hidrotestosterona/sangue , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Estradiol/sangue , Masculino , Próstata/patologia , Doenças Prostáticas/sangue , Ratos , Ratos Wistar , Testosterona/sangueRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reactivity of steroid hormone receptors (SHRs), dystroglycans (DGs), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGFR-1), and laminin (Lam) in both prostatic stromal and epithelial compartments showing different diseases in elderly men. METHODS: Sixty prostatic samples were obtained from 60- to 90-year-old patients (mean 63 years) with and without prostatic lesions from Hospital of the School of Medicine, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). The Samples were divided into standard (no lesions); high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN); prostatic cancer (PC); and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) groups. The samples were submitted to immunohistochemistry and Western blotting analyses. Research Ethics Committee of the School of Medicine, University of Campinas/UNICAMP (number 0094.0.146.000-08). RESULTS: The results showed increased IGFR-1 and MMPs protein levels in the PC and HGPIN groups. Decreased αDG and ßDG protein levels were verified in the PC and HGPIN groups. Androgen receptor (AR) reactivity was similar among all groups. Estrogen receptor α (Erα) immunoreactivity was more intense in the epithelium in the PC and HGPIN groups. Estrogen receptor ß (ERß) immunoreactivity was weak in the epithelium of the HGPIN and PC groups. CONCLUSIONS: To conclude, there was an association among IGFR-1, MMPs, and SHRs, indicating IGFR-1 as a target molecule in prostate therapy, considering the IGF proliferative properties. Also, the distinct SHRs reactivities in the lesions in both prostatic compartments indicated different paracrine signals and pointed out the importance of estrogenic pathways in the activation of these disorders.
Assuntos
Distroglicanas/análise , Metaloproteinases da Matriz/análise , Doenças Prostáticas/patologia , Receptores de Esteroides/análise , Somatomedinas/análise , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Envelhecimento , Western Blotting , Humanos , Imuno-Histoquímica , Laminina/análise , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Próstata/patologiaRESUMO
The study analyzed the effects of chronic alcohol ingestion on the ultrastructure of the lining epithelium of the hard palatine mucosa of rats UChA and UChB (lines with voluntary alcohol consumption) in order to contribute to the understanding of the consequences of alcohol abuse for the morphology of the digestive system. Thirty female adult animals aged 120 days were divided into three experimental groups. (1) Ten UChA rats (genetically low ethanol consumer) with voluntary intake of 10% v/v (5.45 g/kg/day) ethanol solution and water. (2) Ten UChB (genetically high ethanol consumer) rats with voluntary intake of 10% v/v (7.16 g/kg/day) ethanol solution and water. (3) Ten Wistar rats with voluntary ad libitum water intake (control group). Both groups received Nuvital pellets ad libitum. The IGFR-I expression was intense in both experimental groups. The epithelial cells of the alcoholic rats UChA and UChB showed many alterations such as the presence of lipid droplets, altered nuclei, nuclei in corneum layer and disrupted mitochondria. It was concluded that ethanol intake induces ultrastructural lesions in the hard palatine mucosa.
Assuntos
Depressores do Sistema Nervoso Central/farmacologia , Etanol/farmacologia , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Fator de Crescimento Insulin-Like I/metabolismo , Mucosa Bucal/efeitos dos fármacos , Mucosa Bucal/ultraestrutura , Animais , Feminino , Mucosa Bucal/metabolismo , Ratos , Ratos WistarRESUMO
The effects of weight loss on erectile function and hormones have not been well studied. The aim of this study was to measure the degree to which sexual function and in particular erectile function and hormonal environment change after substantial weight loss, surgically and non-surgically induced in the morbidly obese male in a prospective randomized long-term controlled trial. Furthermore, how surgery makes a difference when treating morbidly obese men was envisaged in this context. We prospectively studied 20 morbidly obese men for 24 months, divided into two groups: group A included 10 patients who underwent life style modifications (exercise and diet) for 4 months and subsequently gastric bypass, and another 10 patients in group B were kept on weekly follow-up. None of the men were taking phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors. All patients underwent International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5 questionnaire, serum oestradiol, prolactin (PRL), luteinizing (LH) and follicle-stimulating (FSH) hormones, free and total testosterone (FT and TT) at baseline (time 0), surgery - 4 months latter baseline (time 1) and final evaluation - 24 months (time 2). From times 0 to 1, group A presented a mean body mass index (BMI) reduction of 12.6 (p < 0.0001), whereas group B, 2.1 (p > 0.05). The BMI reductions between times 0 and 2 were 24.7 (p < 0.0001) and 0.7 (p > 0.05) for groups A and B respectively. BMI average between the two groups was similar at time 0 (p = 0.2142), and different at times 1 (p = 0.0033) and 2 (p < 0.0006). Increase in IIEF-5 score (p = 0.0469), TT (p = 0.0349) and FSH levels (p = 0.0025), and reduction in PRL level (p < 0.0001) were observed in group A from times 0 to 2 and 1 to 2. There were no changes from times 0 to 1. Comparing groups A and B at time 2, IIEF-5, TT and FT increased significantly in group A (p = 0.0224, 0.0043 and 0.0149 respectively). Surgery-induced weight loss increased erectile function quality measured by IIEF-5 questionnaire, increased TT, FT and FSH and reduced PRL levels. The hormonal impact verified could justify the improvement in erectile function. Lifestyle modifications impacted BMI without hormonal or sexual impact in morbidly obese. New studies are warranted in the field to support our data.